Lion's head 

Editor: Here we have "Lion's Head" by Johann Elias Ridinger, housed in the Städel Museum. It's a drawing rendered in pencil, chalk, and charcoal on paper. There's a certain melancholic feel to this animal portrait, I find it strangely compelling. What do you see in this piece, Professor? Curator: Well, beyond the masterful rendering of the lion’s form, which, technically speaking, demonstrates Ridinger's deep understanding of anatomy, I see a powerful statement about the human relationship to the animal kingdom during the Baroque period. Consider how the lion, traditionally a symbol of power and royalty, is depicted here not in a dynamic pose of dominance, but rather in a moment of quiet repose. Editor: So, you're saying the drawing could challenge ideas about power structures? Curator: Precisely. Ridinger’s work often explored the complexities of nature and man's place within it. In the Baroque era, nature was often viewed through a lens of conquest and control. Here, the lion’s introspective gaze invites us to question this hierarchy. How might we view the animal if not as something to be dominated? Also, think about how class and aristocracy also intersect. Who traditionally hunted lions and what did that mean symbolically? Editor: It is like the artist subtly subverts traditional representations, which perhaps reflects some tensions of that era, if I get it correctly. Curator: Exactly. Moreover, who benefits from this display of power, and who is being silenced? Editor: It definitely changes how I look at it. I appreciate the nuanced way it encourages considering this work within social and historical systems, making it much more relevant. Curator: Art provides that opening for us. It asks us to confront difficult aspects of the human experience, and to imagine more equitable solutions.